Russia Sends Protest Note to Ukraine After Attacks on its Embassy

Originally appeared at Ria Novosty, translated by Mario Kuoljok exclusively for SouthFront; Edited by Desi Tzoneva

The day before the State Duma elections, unknown persons attacked the Russian Embassy in Kiev.

The Russian Foreign Ministry sent Ukraine a note of protest with a request to investigate the “provocative behaviour of the radicals” and ensure the safety of the Embassy and other diplomatic missions in accordance with international obligations.

The note says that the law enforcement bodies of the Ukraine, which are supposed to ensure the protection of the Embassy, did not react to what happened.

The events that took place

As Ria Novosti was told by the Embassy, at about 01:00 (GMT), about 20 unknown persons threw smoke bombs and objects to set fire to the building. “Through a lucky coincidence, the fire did not happen,” said the Russian office.

According to the speaker of the agency, the police did not detain the attackers.

Later, the Kiev police reported that checks were made in connection with the incident and to determine the identity of the participants. According to them, no one was hurt during the attack, but the Embassy building sustained minor damages.

Security measures

The Prime Minister of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman, called the incident bullying and of such a small proportion that it is not worth commenting on.

According to the head of the government, on the day of the elections, the police would work in normal mode.

“We will not protect the electoral process of the Russian Federation. In Kiev, there is the same order regardless of what day of the week it is,” Groysman told journalists.

Local media reported that the Embassy decided to install more barricades around the perimeter, to reinforce the fence with metal sheets and closed the windows with special blinds ahead of the elections.

Elections in the Ukraine

On 18 September, the day when the elections of the Russian state Duma are held, a polling station should be open at the Russian Embassy in Kiev. Earlier, the Ukrainian authorities informed Moscow about the impossibility of voting on the territory of the Ukraine. In Moscow, this decision was called “a violation of norms of decency and rules of civilised international communication.”

The Press Secretary of Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, stressed that the Ukrainian side could not prevent a vote in a territory with a high Russian population, and according to the Vienna Convention, Kiev is obliged to guarantee the safety of diplomatic missions.

The head of the CEC of Russia, Ella Pamfilova, said that Moscow did everything to ensure the elections in Ukraine took place, and that Kiev, for its part, must ensure safety.